


Why Can't We All Get Along?

by seonghwazz



Series: The Sun Is Rising Over The Horizon [3]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Fist Fights, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Orphanage, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:08:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25488253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seonghwazz/pseuds/seonghwazz
Summary: When Yeosang doesn't want to talk about something, he doesn't expect somebody to push it. San, however, raises his expectations.Or the one where SanSang have a fight (not really. It's just Yeosang beating the hell out of San).
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Choi San/Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa/Song Mingi
Series: The Sun Is Rising Over The Horizon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784140
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Why Can't We All Get Along?

**Author's Note:**

> TW//fighting and mentions of previous bullying
> 
> The above topics do not include gory details. Thanks to @Auroras5tar for the plot (again LOL)! Anyways, enjoy!

_yeosang was walking through the now empty halls of crescent orphanage, his heart thumping hard against his chest. “hyungs?”, he yelled. no response. yeosang feels a sickening feeling settle in his stomach; he’s been abandoned again._

yeosang feels his tears leak out from his eyes and onto his pillow, sniffling pitifully. he didn’t notice or hear san quietly climbing down from the top bunk. “it’s okay, yeo”, san mumbled. san gently ran his fingers through yeosang’s hair, the boy’s sobs slowly dying down.

_“yeosang! we’re here!” yeosang turned, and saw san poking his head out of a room. “c’mon! we’re all waiting for you!”_

san wrapped his arms around yeosang, yeosang unconsciously burying his face into san’s neck. “night, sangie”, san mumbled. he decided to stay awake for a little longer, just in case yeosang started crying again. he absentmindedly carded his fingers through yeosang’s tangled locks; it was getting long, san thought. yeosang wanted to grow his hair out so that he could look like hongjoong, could tie it up, and look cool. thirty minutes later, san felt his eyelids droop heavily, and he gave in to sleep.

the next morning, seonghwa found the two of them curled up together like two intertwining vines. “san-ah”, seonghwa called, shaking san’s arm. “time to wake up, buddy. you too, sangie.” yeosang pulls away from san’s neck, his face covered with tear tracks. “sangie?”, seonghwa asks softly. “were you crying?” yeosang looks away, embarassed. “y-yeah, because of a nightmare. then sannie came and cuddled me. i don’t remember much, but he came over. he must've stayed up.” san is peacefully cuddling yeosang to his chest, a hand placed protectively on the older boy’s back.

“well, thank goodness that it’s a saturday”, seonghwa said fondly, touching san on the nose. “you two can get some more sleep, can’t you?” yeosang nods, digs his face into san’s neck again, and the pair of them fall asleep once more. they don’t wake up until twelve in the afternoon, san stretching his limbs lazily like a cat. “afternoon”, yunho greets, from where he’s drawing. “you’ve both been asleep for a while.”

“did we miss lunch?”, yeosang asks blearily, rubbing his eyes. “nope”, mingi chimes in. “you’re just in time. we leave in twenty minutes, so get changed, hyungs!” thankfully, seonghwa didn’t ask yeosang about what had happened the previous night, and yeosang couldn’t be more grateful.

san, however, was the opposite. after lunch, the two boys decided to go outside and play for a while, yeosang suggesting that they have a wrestling match. “so, what were you dreaming about last night?”, san asked, as they were circling each other. “none of your business, san”, yeosang hissed back, slightly annoyed.

“c’mon, yeo”, san pleaded, lunging forwards to grab yeosang into a loose headlock. “if you talk about it, you’ll feel better. chances are that you’ll never have that nightmare again.” yeosang rolls his eyes, breaking out of san’s grip and pushing san backward. “just drop it, san. i don’t want to talk about it.”

san stumbled a step backwards, before regaining his footing and charging at yeosang. yeosang toppled onto the grass, letting out an “oof!” of surprise. “yeosang hyung”, san said softly, sitting down next to yeosang. “just tell me. i swear that i won’t tell anyone else.” maybe it was because he had just lost, or because he was really annoyed, but kang yeosang just…snapped.

“look, san”, yeosang growled, attempting to punch san in the stomach. san, surprised, blocked it (living on the streets for half a year sharpens up your skills) clumsily. “i don’t need you helping me when i have a nightmare. stay out of my business and my past; it’s not yours to care about, you hear me?” yeosang manages to land a few hits on san’s arm, the younger boy hissing in pain but not fighting back. _yeosang hyung’s just angry_ , san thought. _i can’t hurt him_. yeosang feels angry tears slide down his cheeks as he continues the one-way fight. san thinks of a vaguely familiar situation; back when hongjoong and jin were still on unfriendly terms, when jin had beat him up.

san curled into a ball, squeezing his eyes tight as yeosang continued his assault, blind with anger. _don’t fight back_ , a voice in san’s head told him. i _t’s your fault that he’s attacking you, anyway. just stay quiet until it’s over_. san braced his head, clearly expecting more punches, but he was soon hefted into seoho’s strong arms. youngjo was restraining yeosang, the boy fighting against the older’s grip. “choi san”, yeosang choked out, sniffling loud. “i hate you. i hate you so much, you nosy little _shit_!”

san hung on tight to seoho, who was trying to set him down on the grass. “i’ll check your injuries, sannie”, seoho says gently. “c’mon, let go.” san clings onto seoho like a lifeline, yeosang’s words replaying in his head over and over again. he can’t help but cry into seoho’s chest, seoho immediately understanding that the boy simply wants to be held at the moment. youngjo is calmly telling yeosang to breathe in and out, yeosang’s face slowly returning to it’s usual shade. hwanwoong and leedo are shooing away curious individuals, telling them to “give them some space”. “but san’s hurt!”, namjoon complains. “you can visit him later”, keonhee interrupts. “just go somewhere else for now, joon.”

dongju has been sent to fetch seonghwa and hongjoong. “hey, ju”, hongjoong greets, when the boy arrives at their dorm red-faced and panting. “what’s up?” dongju takes a moment to catch his breath. “yeosang hyung and san hyung are fighting in the yard.” seonghwa immediately puts away the rag that he’s cleaning with and puts a hand on dongju’s shoulder. “stay here, ju”, seonghwa instructs. “play with jongie. don’t come to the yard, okay?” dongju nods shakily before heading off to jongho’s side; the boy is playing with wooyoung, who enthusiatically waves dongju over. seonghwa, hongjoong and yunho race down the stairs two at a time, and out into the yard. seonghwa immediately goes to take san from seoho, thanking him for taking care of his younger brother.

“sannie”, seonghwa says, stroking san’s hair. “are you okay?” seonghwa’s voice is somewhere borderline stern and soft. san is murmuring something under his breath, but it’s incoherent. “speak louder, san-ah. i can’t hear you.” san cries harder at the “san-ah”, because it’s said in the exact same exasperated tone used when seonghwa is scolding him, the same tone that precedes a spanking. “i didn’t do anything”, san sobs. “i didn’t do anything to him. i didn’t hurt him, i swear.” seonghwa’s eyes soften when he sees the bruises that are forming on san’s arms and legs, brushing san’s tears away. “i’m sorry for assuming that you hurt yeosang, sannie”, seonghwa says gently. “it was wrong of me. are you hurt?” san nods. “where, sannie?”

san points to his heart, and seonghwa wants to kill yeosang (he’d never admit it, but seonghwa had a huge soft spot for choi san). “awww, baby”, seonghwa sighs. “let’s get you checked out at the nurse.” seonghwa hefts san into his arms and carries the boy into the house, san burying his head into seonghwa’s shoulder while the elder mumbled sweet nothings into his ear. meanwhile, yeosang was being torn into by hongjoong.

“kang yeosang!”, hongjoong yells. “what the heck possessed you to beat the hell out of your brother, huh?” yeosang sniffs, looking at his shoes. youngjo has released him from his vice grip, hongjoong apologising profusely to the elder boy for having to take care of yeosang. “it’s alright”, youngjo had said, shrugging it off. “have fun dealing with him.” youngjo winked at hongjoong before heading back into the house, the shorter boy groaning internally.

“answer me”, hongjoong says sternly, when they’re both comfortably seated on the grass. “it’s not all my fault! san was pushing too hard about…about…” yeosang trails off, aggresively wiping the tears away from his face. “about before.” hongjoong sighs; yeosang’s not particularly fond of talking about his past. “what was san asking about?” yeosang shrugs. “about the nightmare that i had last night. he said that talking about it would make me feel better, and i told him that i didn’t want to, but he kept pushing, an’”

“you snapped”, hongjoong finished. “that’s still not a logical explanation for what happened, yeo.” yeosang lowers his head in shame, biting his lower lip. “i hurt him”, yeosang stated blankly. “you were angry”, hongjoong reasons. “but it still didn’t give you any room to do what you did to san. he was trying to make you feel better, even stayed up late to comfort you when you had a nightmare. what you did today was unacceptable, kang yeosang. you should be ashamed.” yeosang hates it when hongjoong gives him a good scolding; the elder somehow manages to make you feel as if you’ve disgraced the entire family (which yeosang has).

yeosang swallows thickly. “a-are you gonna use the belt on me?” hongjoong shakes his head, a grin on his face. “you really believe that i’d thrash you all? it’s just a threat to get you guys to stop being bratty.” yeosang rolls his eyes, bu he can’t help himself but chuckle. hongjoong’s expression immediately hardens. “you’re going to get one hell of a spanking though, kid. i’ll ask san for his side of the story. if it matches up, get ready.”

hongjoong walks yeosang to their room, announcing the second part of his punishment. “you’re grounded for a week. no leaving the room unless it’s for classes, meals, chores or the bathroom”, he announces. normally, yeosang would groan and whine, but he accepts the news with nothing but a nod. _he’s really sorry_ , hongjoong thinks. “i’ll go take a look at san in the infirmary. i’ll be back soon.” hongjoong takes off down the hall, rubbing at his temple.

jongho punches yeosang in his side, the elder groaning in pain. “that’s for beating up san hyung, even though he hugged you when you had a nightmare.” yeosang grimaces, seething through his teeth. “i deserved that, jongho”, yeosang says. “but give me a warning next time?” jongho huffs in the cutest way possible. “otay.” yunho gives him a talking-to, telling him how disappointed he is in the one who’s usually the most level-headed amongst them. “that was really wrong, sangie hyung”, wooyoung tuts. “i know”, yeosang says miserably. “i’m the world’s greatest fu-frick-up.”

meanwhile, hongjoong was in the infirmary with seonghwa and san. san’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, evidence that he had been sobbing his eyes out for the past thirty minutes or so. “sannie”, hongjoong greets. “how’re you doing, kid?” san was lying on one of the five beds set up, his legs curled up to his chest. “hong hyung”, san whined. “wan’ cuddles.” hongjoong gave him the hugs he so wanted, kissing the boy’s forehead gently.

“nurse seo says that it’s nothing major”, seonghwa says softly. “just a few bruises that’ll heal on their own as time goes by. two weeks maximum.” hongjoong heaves a sigh of relief when he hears that san is okay. “san”, hongjoong begins. “what happened out there?”

“’s all my fault”, san mumbled, looking very small. “i was asking sang hyung about his n-nightmare and he told me to stop but i didn’t. then sang hyung got mad…” san looked like he wanted to cry again, but hongjoong quickly gave him a hug. “it’s not your fault, sannie”, hongjoong reassures. “you were just trying to help.” san’s watery eyes looked up into hongjoong’s. “are you sure?”

“of course i’m sure”, hongjoong says. “i have to go deal with your yeosang hyung now. i’ll be back later, okay?” san holds onto hongjoong’s wrist. “don’t spank him too hard, please hyung?” hongjoong sighed; yeosang’s just beaten the crap out of san, yet the boy was still mature and kind enough to say that? “you really are a saint, choi san, you know that?” hongjoong plants a kiss onto san’s cheek before leaving, shaking his head in disbelief. san really was too kind for this world.

hongjoong found yeosang standing in the corner of their dorm room, while jongho, dongju and mingi were playing a complicated clapping game. wooyoung and yunho were nowhere to be found; possibly playing with leedo and keonhee. “you three”, hongjoong calls. “can you go play somewhere else?” mingi, the eldest of the trio, nods and takes them outside. the room descends into silence, the only sound coming from yeosang who’s sniffling a little. “well? c’mere, then. pants off, over my lap.” yeosang walks over to hongjoong, awkwardly pulling his pants down. “lap”, hongjoong adds, gesturing for yeosang to move to lie down.

“did you know”, hongjoong says, before he begins, “that san still asked me to go easy on you after everything that you’ve done and said to him this afternoon? you ought to be ashamed of yourself.” hongjoong begins landing quick, stinging smacks onto yeosang’s butt, increasing speed as he gains momentum. this continues for a good five minutes, yeosang gradually feeling his butt sting more with every smack.

hongjoong takes a moment to put yeosang’s pants back up, righting the boy. yeosang reaches out for a hug, but hongjoong shakes his head. “uh-uh. we’re not done yet. lie down over the bed.” hongjoong rummages through the drawers, pulling out the old hairbrush with a groan. “five strokes and you’re done, okay?” yeosang nods, tears leaking out of his eyes, as he grasps the blanket tightly between his fists.

hongjoong lands the first stroke onto yeosang’s clothed bottom, yeosang yelping out in surprise and pain. hongjoong finishes up quickly, landing the remaining four strokes with rapid speed before pulling yeosang into a firm hug. “sangie’s sorry”, yeosang wailed. “i was a bad hyung.” hongjoong shushes him, running his hand through yeosang’s hair. “i know, sang-ah. all is forgiven, shhh.”

“when’s sannie comin’ back?” hongjoong shrugged. “i don’t know, yeo. it should be soon.” as if on cue, san and seonghwa walked in. just seeing san all bruised up broke something inside of him, and he simply wailed harder into hongjoong’s neck. san immediately rushes to cuddle yeosang, clinging on to the older boy like a koala. “i’m fine, sangie hyung’, san whispered. “no, you’re not”, yeosang retorted, voice nasally from all the snot. “well, i can’t say that i’m okay”, san mumbled. “i’m sorry for hurting you when you were just trying to help me”, yeosang sobs, eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “sangie’s really sorry.”

“i forgive you, hyung”, san soothes. “i’m sorry for pushing you too far.” yeosang narrows his eyes. “no. take that back, san. you did nothing wrong by asking me about it. i’m just not comfortable with talking about the nightmare yet; i should’ve said that instead of resorting to violence.” san’s eyes widen with surprise, but he nods anyway, smiling. “cuddle?”

san didn’t even have an answer to that, as yeosang was already smothering his younger brother with kisses and hugs.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!


End file.
